Ayanna Pressley

It is personally thrilling and inspiring to me to see a panel made entirely of women's voices, and America should listen to women's voices.

I still call it a war on women's health because when you look at the comprehensive nature of these cuts and the policies and the restrictions, what else is it?

Many of our Republican colleagues, they opposed teen pregnancy prevention programs. They oppose comprehensive sex education.

I just wanted to acknowledge, since there was this conversation about compassion for the innocence- earlier today I rolled out the People's Justice Guarantee, which calls for the abolishing of the death penalty.

I want to acknowledge my other sisters in service from our Pro-Choice Caucus were waived on today, Representatives Chu and Schakowsky, respectfully.

That right is a fundamental right. It is a right that is tied to your ability to have dignity in this country.

To be clear, the Hyde Amendment functioned as the original abortion ban for low-income individuals.

Current law restricts Medicaid funds from covering abortion care for women in communities across the United States.

Even in states like the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which I represent, individuals, particularly low-income and young people, LGBTQ and black and brown folks, continue to face barriers in accessing comprehensive reproductive health care.

Thank you, Acting Chair Maloney, for holding the line on this full committee hearing since the transition of Chairman Cummings.

This is a decision between a woman and her God and her doctor and her life, and only she knows how to make this decision.

I refuse to stand by and see even one more woman's life put in danger because of lack of access to safe and legal abortion.

Banning access to safe, legal abortion is not what the majority of this country wants.

We cannot afford to endure another abortion ban because we are already battling discrimination in healthcare, wages too low to put food on the table, debilitating childcare costs, attacks on immigrants, and threats to our voting rights.

Did Stephen Miller play a role in this decision or not?

It is shameful but consistent. So, I hope that you can answer the questions that I have.

And while I am relieved that the policy has been reversed, these families and the American people deserve answers.

But what we do want are real answers and justice for these families and a peace of mind, and they deserve that and their children deserve that.

So, I want to politely and respectfully ask you, Mr. Cuccinelli, to look at Mr. Espinoza.

I want to make sure that he understands that to many families this is, literally, a life and death issue.

Pressley and I are working with the committee, are looking for Republicans to work with, to tailor a bill for this group of people that would help them.

In closing, I just want to remind my colleagues here today to not lose sight of why we are here, the families and their critically ill children, whose lives are on the line.

So, if asked to serve contrary to the law, will you decline?

Well, given that it was an abrupt policy that stood to impact, quite literally, the lives of critically ill children, in hindsight, do you think that you should have done some analysis?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, again, our forever chairman, Elijah Cummings, reminded us that the charge of this committee is to be in efficient and effective pursuit of the truth.